It was a packed crowd on Thursday for the start of a new dream in Lubbock, a project that promises to revitalize the downtown area.

More than a hundred people crowded in to hear plans for a brand new performing arts center that will carry the name of Lubbock legend Buddy Holly.

And today, a shovel made everything official.

The long-anticipated groundbreaking marks the start of construction for the new Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences. That 218,000 square foot facility will be planted in the 1300 block of Mac Davis Lane at the site of the old DPS building in Lubbock.

The state of the art facility will include a main theater with 2200 seats, a bistro café and outdoor performance areas.

Tim Collins, board chairman of the Lubbock Entertainment Performing Arts Association or LEPPA, told the crowd, "We said the skyline of downtown Lubbock was about to change. Today marks the beginning of that change. In 33 months, give or take a weather day, we'll be back here to christen those dreams."

The estimated cost of the Performing Arts Center is expected to reach $155 million.

Collins called the facility a beacon to the world which will ultimately say "Pay attention to Lubbock, Texas."

Thanks to the countless hours of planning and fundraising efforts of LEPPA, the Buddy Holly Performing Arts Center will be a privately funded and privately-run venture.

Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope said, "When you think about great cities, you think about great places where people can gather and recreate, and have fun, and enjoy the arts, and be a community. And we're taking that step today."

Galen Wixson, President and CEO of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, says this dream was a real draw to him when he was considering a move to Lubbock.

"When they told me - they're building you a new hall, I said I have to come to Lubbock," he said.

Mayor Pope called on Lubbock residents to consider the tremendous creativity that has already come from this area, citing artists, dancers, sculptors and musicians.

After all, he said, "Rock and roll found its voice and its beat right here in Lubbock, Texas."

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